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Stephen Gould (tenor)

Stephen Grady Gould (January 24, 1962 – September 19, 2023) was an American heldentenor and leading interpreter of Richard Wagner's stage works. He performed around 100 times at the Bayreuth Festival, notably as Tannhäuser starting in 2004, and later Siegfried and Tristan. In 2022, his performance in all three roles earned him nicknames such as Iron Man.

Stephen Gould

(1962-01-24)January 24, 1962

September 19, 2023(2023-09-19) (aged 61)

Austrian Kammersänger

Gould appeared at leading opera houses worldwide. His non-Wagner repertoire included the roles of Paul in Korngold's Die tote Stadt, Bacchus in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, the title role of Britten's Peter Grimes, the Emperor in Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten, the title role of Verdi's Otello, Aeneas in Berlioz's Les Troyens, and the title role of William Bolkom's McTeague. In concert, he performed in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder, and Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde.

Recordings[edit]

Gould's performances in Bayreuth were broadcast internationally and recorded, including Siegfried with Thielemann in 2009.[23] He recorded Tristan und Isolde, with Nina Stemme as Isolde and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin conducted by Marek Janowski in 2012[24] and Siegfried with the same orchestra and conductor in 2013.[3][25][26] He recorded a DVD of Act 2 from Tristan und Isolde, with Christine Goerke as Isolde, the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda in 2019.[27] The same year, he appeared as the Emperor in a recording of Die Frau ohne Schatten by Strauss taken at the Vienna State Opera conducted by Thielemann. A reviewer noted: "Every note is there with complete security, and the slightly dusky colour of his voice give him a particular colour."[28]


In concert, Gould recorded Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and chorus conducted by Donald Runnicles in 2003.[29][30] He recorded the tenor solo of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 as part of the live recordings of all Mahler symphonies with Riccardo Chailly conducting the MDR Rundfunkchor, the opera chorus Leipzig, the GewandhausChor, the Thomanerchor and the Gewandhausorchester, as part of the International Mahler Festival in Leipzig in 2011.[29][31] He recorded Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder in 2020 with the MDR Rundfunkchor, the Staatsopernchor Dresden and the Staatskapelle Dresden joined by members of Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, conducted by Thielemann, singing the role of Waldemar.[32][29]

Awards[edit]

Gould received a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Opera Recording category for his performance in the Deutsche Grammophon recording Der Ring des Nibelungen at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014.[33] He was awarded the title of an Austrian Kammersänger in 2015.[9][34]

Bock, Hans Christoph von (July 25, 2019). (in German). dw.com. Retrieved September 22, 2023.

"'Kein Tenor ist anfangs ein perfekter Siegfried'"

Brug, Manuel (July 25, 2015). . Die Welt (in German). Retrieved September 22, 2023.

"Bayreuther Festspiele 2015: Tristan Stephen Gould über Wagner"

Hagedorn, Volker (March 20, 2019). . VAN Magazine (in German). Retrieved September 22, 2023.

"Kein Phantom"

Official website

at IMDb

Stephen Gould

discography at Discogs

Stephen Gould

on YouTube with Elizabeth Connell as Brünnhilde

Concert performance of finale of Siegfried

on YouTube

Korngold: Prayer, Op. 32